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/363/ Outsourcing the State (Patreon)

Published:
2023-09-12 06:00:03
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

On the politics of consultancy

The past 40 years have seen a whole range of things the state used to do itself outsourced to third parties. Now there is a turn against these practices. But can the state actually get stuff done, or is it doomed for its prior reliance on consultants?

It's not just the left the criticises outsourcing - the right now does too. How do these positions differ? And how are these questions related to another critique – that of 'bullshit jobs'?Readings & Links:

In Clover, Laleh Khalili, LRB (attached)

The Big Con — the case against consultancies (review of Mazzucatto & Collington), Diane Coyle, FT (attached)

Letter: Groundless assertions about a trusted profession (response from a consultant), FT

How PwC captured Australia, Shahar Hameiri, Unherd

Consultancies Have Been the Handmaidens of Neoliberalism, Nathan Akehurst, Jacobin

Radical Centrism: Uniting the Radical Left and the Radical Right, Ashwin Parameswaran, Macroresilience

The limits of government outsourcing, Martin Bortz, Pursuit

/267/ South Africa Mafia State ft. Benjamin Fogel

Files

Comments

Joan Morera

On the back of the low quality commentary provided in the prior episode (ft Cory Doctorow), the three presenters could be replaced by AI bots. Particularly the two presenters that demonstrated no understanding of the the authors work, before talking about McDonald’s restaurants and pubs. Bizarre! And the bitchy fight between the three of you on this episode- please edit out that stuff. I am not keen on paying to be mistreated.

NigelBOpinion

Not a great episode. A little spice between the hosts is fine and good but there was too much talking over each other etc. in this one. One of the charms of the show is respectful, if occasionally jocular, conversation between three intelligent, well-informed friends. This episode is a rare exception to that.

Richard R

Little bit of a "gotcha" or maybe petty complaint. But seems Phil ought to choose: is social reproduction theory a reactionary move because it distracts from the real class politics action, or is sex education a serious and important piece of deciding who gets power in society?

Eli A

What a quizzical oversight in this episode to talk about the "outsourcing of the state" and levy your focus almost exclusively on consultants. In reality, the state has outsourced its bus drivers, train operators, prisons, waste management, infrastructure building, road maintenance, power generation, defense manufacturing, and even the military itself to private contractors! To focus on the consultants really gives short shrift to the extent to which state capacities have atrophied. There are more than twice as many US federal contractors than federal employees! They are so intertwined with the machinery of government that it couldn't function without them, despite gouging the public along the way. Focusing on the role of the consultant misses the privatization forest for the Ivy League trees. That being said, I enjoyed the discussion you did have, but thought key points were left out.